It’s not about Trump or Clinton at the end of the day. It’s about you…me…us. Those two rich people will be just fine. Americans need to decide what they want from our government relative to what our government can or should provide.

As strange as it may sound, my community might improve after having Trump in the White House because every family will officially know that the government is operated by people who won’t be doing much for you. We all know parents who did so much for their kids that the children grew up soft and dependent—give me, give me, give me. On the other hand, other kids come from families who struggled to put food on the table. These kids started grinding the second they became adults and never looked back.

The fundamental question about the government safety net programs is this: is it fair to tax those hard working Americans to help those who are too “cute” to do entry level work. So, you are too cool to pick fruit or flip burgers but you have no problem having other people feed your little kids.

At the end of the day, improving your life starts with you…not Trump or Clinton. My friends come from across the political spectrum. We must work together to write the next chapter in American history. America isn’t perfect…the only perfect anything ever on this earth was Jesus in my opinion. But, we still strive to “form a more perfect union.” This nation was constructed on a shaky foundation because all men here were not created equally.

I will always love my southern homegirl Dr. Condoleezza Rice. Dr. Rice rightfully said that racism is America’s birth defect. Oh, that “blank” was deep. So, quarterback Colin Kaepernick started a national debate that should help some people understand that something to you might be something completely different to others. At the same time, the glorification of crime and guns in some hip hop hurts my community more than the current Klan…real talk.

Let’s do this before the election: we should have a cool forum series around a conference table on what we should do in the Black community moving forward. Clinton and Trump will spend billions getting at each other but see if my friends and I can fund this project.

In Georgia, the Democrats don’t seem to care about Democrats outside the cities…Atlanta, Augusta, Albany, Macon, Columbus and Savannah. No candidate can win Georgia statewide without cultivating some rural areas—keep it close in the country and go over the top in the cities.

However, the Dem elite in D.C. and Atlanta only see metro Atlanta as the big prize. Then, these geniuses meager efforts outside Atlanta consist of running radio ads produced in Atlanta. If not for the far Right being nutty, the GOP could have capitalized on Dems ignoring rural southerners. They want statewide candidates who can self-fund so their fancy Buckhead cohorts can get paid consulting fees and media buy fees.

The area from Warner Robins to Thomasville to Brunswick to Statesboro produced some nice numbers for Obama twice but there is little buzz here now…no fire. If Hillary Clinton wants to win Georgia and if someone else wants to be a Democrat Governor or Senator, it starts with not ignoring big sections of the state this year. My friends and I are never called but we have been in the middle of the grassroots mix for years. A recent Washington Post article states that Atlanta again would be the target of Dem campaign monies.

The question becomes this: how long will southern rural moderate Democrats be ignored before we start exploring other options. Hey, if Dems can’t win in my region, shouldn’t I consider the less crazy of GOP candidates during primaries. Why do you think this Democrat voted in the Republican GOP primary for John Kasich….to avoid this: President Trump. If all of Georgia and the nation doesn’t vote, the President Trump nightmare might become reality.

If not for Blacks in the South, Bernie Sanders would be the Democrat nominee. Donald P. Trump might still be president because his side is about to release two months of hell on Hillary Clinton. Some of that mud could turn off Clinton Dust Belt voters but southern Blacks will be down with the Clintons and Obamas. However, we don’t need a zillion dollars in T.V. ads…half a zillion will do. The other half zillion needs to be used in good old Get Out The Vote with a social media twist….party with a purpose.

Is it inappropriate to ask a mayoral candidate who he supports for governor or president? If it is, I humbly apologize to my mayor because I did just that. See, local officials are the foundation of state candidates and state candidates are the same to presidential, senatorial and congressional candidates.

Of course, smart local officials dance around those questions because voters might like them but hate presidential candidates. On the other hand, mayors and city council members seek federally funded and state administered funding. While those grants are supposed to be merit-base, friends or foes in certain places could be “huge.”

Everyone knows the Democrats in Georgia are being too nice in the arena; they love to make nice with the other side. But, how many times will the other side play hard ball before we start throwing some elbows also.

Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed has good elbows and he is dumbfounded by Democrats supporting GOP Senator Johnny Isakson. While Isakson is the coolest Republican since Saxby Chambliss left, he can’t be that cool to support Donald Trump. Every member of the Senate and most of the House are more presidential material than Trump but party members feel compelled to back him. Then, the weak Democrats allow major party figures the option of supporting Isakson. From middle school algebra, we remember “a=b and b=c then a=c.” In other words, birds of a feather flock together.

No sir, you’ll aren’t going to scapegoat Donald Trump after the elections. Edmund Burke said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Trump drives out huge numbers while driving away huge numbers. We know some sneaky Americans have a reputation of using people then wondering why they are around..i.e. slavery.

Thomas Jefferson was one of the smartest Americans but when ask about slavery he said it was like having a tiger by the tail. I think he knew that slaves were people but he liked staying paid.

My conservative friends are generally decent people but their party will try to win by any means necessary. That “win at all cost” mentality started when Donald Trump was still a Democrat. No, no, no, Trump isn’t Hitler but his use of nonsense propaganda to whip the people into a rage or a frenzy is rather Nazi-like.

Then after one of the ugliest periods in human history, the German people tried to act like they didn’t know what Hitler was doing. B.S.

The GOP has already started to distance themselves from Trump but not so fast. We will remember who supported this farce candidacy when you run in the future and as the demographics of our state change. While a Republican might still get an office, it might be GOPers who closer to the center and away from the far Right people who selected Trump over much better candidates.

Because Trump used fire to win the nomination, Democrats should use nice fire to get the base out and that doesn’t start with our so-called leaders siding with candidates who side with Trump. Hillary Clinton’s official campaign, the DNC and the state Democratic Party are too nice to get at them on an Art of War style but we can get it done and win the state.

Where is the fire and energy the Democrats need to win in November in Georgia? From an organizational standpoint, Georgia Democrats aren’t there for Hillary or Obama. Rep. David Scott decides to endorse Senator Johnny Isakson while former Senator Sam Nunn and former Governor Roy Barnes are giving money to the senior senator.

I have voted for Senator Isakson in the past but he doesn’t get this Dems vote after getting behind Donald Trump for president. With some party unity, Jim Barksdale could beat Isakson and help the Dems take the Senate back.

Trump didn’t create the nasty environment on the far Right; that ugliness has been brewing for decades. He just decided to become the leader of it because he is the quintessential B.S. artist. CNN Fareed Zakaria explained Trump’s B.S. skills recently.

We should acknowledge the conservatives that put country over party by saying they wouldn’t vote to make Trump leader of the free world. Jeb Bush said from the beginning that he wouldn’t get in the mud to win the nomination and you see where he is now. Trump called him “low energy Jeb” but that was actually presidential coolness.

Birds of a feather flock together. If you insist on riding with Trump, you consign his B.S. Like it or not, your party has been high-jacked by radicals. Yes, we are looking at the radicalization of the far Right just like segments of Islam is radicalized as well as segments of Christianity. While we can have strong beliefs, Trump is fueling a movement that views America as a country belonging to certain people for certain reasons—they stole it from the Indians fair and square. Talk radio and Fox News produce the best hateful rhetoric.

But, Democrats sit around trying to be nice and begging those former Dixiecrats to come back. We remember when the radicalized Tea Party tried to get Rep. Sanford Bishop out of office. The same rural folks Bishop had tirelessly served for years sat idly as ugliness and con artist silliness was hurled. Check this: your friends don’t stand around while B.S. like this is happening. But, the Georgia Democrat leadership blow it off and want to make nice.

Donald Trump was the leader of that birther B.S. He came for the most elegant American since JFK and POTUS still weathered the storm. Hell, I have a million reasons to vote for Hillary Clinton, the most qualified presidential candidate ever, but I could vote for her as a protest against Trump or as a thank you to Obama.

Trump is a B.S. expert like a professional wrestler or Kramer on Seinfeld. But, he could easily B.S. his way into the White House if everyone doesn’t vote. Reasonable Republicans denounce his candidacy but those who don’t should have their fitness questioned. To be fair, I question the Far Left’s “give everyone everything for free” mentality as much as I question the Far Right.

What shall we do to stop Trump? With secondary regard to the too nice Georgia Democrat leadership, we need to rally the Obama base with hot fire and pure energy. Oh yea, shall we mention that the Democrat leadership are the same people who select and support statewide candidates who can raise millions for T.V. ads. While ads buys are essential, my community likes good ole Get Out the Vote rallies…perhaps driven my social media. Campaigns don’t hit your mailbox today because they hit your email box.

Finally, all of Georgia doesn’t live in metro Atlanta. Sanford Bishop came to Washington after helping Bill Clinton win Georgia. One of the crowning jewels of his service would be helping Hillary Clinton win Georgia by turning out Columbus, Macon and Albany. We consider him the leader of Georgia Democrats outside Atlanta so he should also help in areas without much Democrat leadership.

Because the stakes are so high, we really need a grassroots effort to get out all of the Obama voters. This effort needs to be bold and edgy because we must fight fire with fire. The Democrat voters need to know what cards Trump played from the bottom of the deck to win the GOP nom. The guy is a good business man but simply not presidential material.

I am blown away by people who don’t vote. My friends tell me to be nice but forget that. You can sit in the cold to watch high school football but not vote. You can play Call of Duty the video game but not vote for or against the guys who decide when, where and how long real troops serve.

Let me, oh let me mention Gore vs. Bush. So, the Democrats on Capitol Hill helped President Bill Clinton put the nation in good shape but the working people Dems fight for fail to vote. Al Gore falls to George Bush by a margin that could be one south Florida housing project. Oh, the conservatives would say how dare you give short-term public assistance to poor people who refuse to pick these citrus crops and maybe they have a point but vote and let your concerns be heard. Some say the farm workers’ wages are too low…then vote. Hey, you can protest on the streets but voting and attending city council and school board meetings get stuff changed legally.

Why Vote:

Obama Legacy: If you appreciate the service of President Obama and how First Lady Michelle Obama carries herself, vote to stop Trump from moving into the White House and reversing everything on day one. As President Obama said recently, Hillary Clinton would be the most qualified person to enter the Oval but you know how it is for women in a man’s world. She will put her personal style of diplomacy on the office and that style is similar to Clinton and Obama.

Healthcare: Trump can’t wait to dismantle Obamacare on the federal level but don’t sleep on the governors like Deal in Georgia who won’t expand Medicaid for all. The insured use the emergency room as a doctor’s office and at that point the illness is costly. If everyone had a minimum level of healthcare coverage, early detection of health problems could save trillions but that would be too much like right. Prevention and wellness would be even better; the doctor tells you to get that weight down and if you don’t, you dug your own grave. You can’t save people from themselves. Politicians get campaign donations from hospital, drug and insurance lobbyists so maybe it’s true that they want people to remain sick. Vote!

National Defense: Have mercy, are we going to let hothead Trump have the nuclear codes? Everyone has friends and family who joined the military to serve and because the uniform has job security. They see the world, stay paid and learn valuable leadership skills. We should watch who is in the White House and Congress because our best and brightest shouldn’t die because leaders want to act macho. If the bombing starts, leaders are in that famous “undisclosed location” while my cousin is on the front line. We must vote if we carry about the troops and their families.

We know big business makes billions when America goes to war; some people think corporate interest want war so they can supply the troops. Big business does business in a nasty way around the world and when the people get weary of their leaders allowing this exploitation, Wall Street wants the Pentagon to get the situation back to normal. Our interest in the Middle East is rooted in our thirst for oil. The next president should have a comprehensive plan to make us energy smarter while being more respectful on the global stage….that John Wayne cowboy stuff doesn’t work anymore.

Jobs/Wages: My hourly wage from UPS in 1983 is still a desired wage today but the cost of everything has gone up. Trump-type CEOs are only interested in the bottom line profits. Mr. Trump rightfully says we don’t make anything in America anymore…and he should know because he is a major exporter of jobs. Young people must keep their bills low as they train for high tech careers in the new global economy. Today’s jobs require fewer people so we must elect leaders who create the proper climate for industrial attraction. The future workers must be sober, focus and attentive because the developing world is enthusiastic about doing better and taking out our position on top. America IS great today but we must work hard and smart to keep it that way.

Schools: We must elect local, state and federal officeholders who are committed to a good education for all kids. To be honest, the conservatives seem more interested in providing vouchers so their kids can get into private schools or homeschools…just get them away from poor folks. Georgia has a constitutional amendment on the ballot this year that seems to improve underperforming schools but the real purpose is to close or privatize those schools. You see what they do when you don’t vote.

The effort to privatize public schools is an attack on the teaching profession; teaching and the military has traditionally been an opportunity for families to move into the middle class. The next generation of teachers will also serves as role models and cheerleaders for kids. We should elect leaders who recognize this reality.

Crime/Freedom: The elected City Council selects a city manager who often selects the police chief who sets the police mentality. The police have always been my friends and if I am wrong, I am wrong. But, I don’t need police who seem to be overseers of the public. President Bill Clinton got Congress to pass a Crime Bill that included an emphasis on community policing—get out of the car, get to know the people, connect with the youth, honor the seniors and people will appreciate enforcement when it happens.

My community is too busy playing Grand Theft Auto to vote; therefore, real GTA is happening on the streets. Yes, friends quietly mention that we are killing each other more than the police are killing us. We must vote for elected officials with compassion; leaders who rightfully encourage all citizens to be cool when dealing with the police and insist that the officers do the same. Prison is like modern day slavery so all Americans should avoid those places. State representatives and senators spent decades with that “lock ‘em and toss the key” mindset before realizing that corrections cost more than college.

While we were voting state officials created junk laws and policies like “stop and frisk” in New York and “stand your ground” in the South. In high crime areas, the police frisk random people but you don’t need to frisk me in Harlem if a crime hasn’t been committed by someone who looks like me.

How, how, how did we let those fools pass Stand Your Ground. Let me understand this mess: if I feel like I am in danger (not real danger, just I feel endanger) I can start shooting rather than walking away. It’s the cowboy mentality and mind you, I think all of those hip hop youth are dangerous thugs. Stand Your Ground is open season on people who don’t look like you. i.e. college students in timberland boots, White guys with tattoos. Wow.

Six reasons to vote but check this: the last six times I voted early, it didn’t take 10 minutes. A football halftime show last longer but this isn’t a game…the stakes are too high. Washington and Atlanta officials whisper that poor people don’t vote and stats say they are right. I say we all should vote in every election for every ballot item.

Finally, there is something to be said about association. The conservatives who openly denounce the farce candidacy of Donald Trump should be commended. The same can be said about the vast majority of Muslims who abhor terrorism and regular citizens who would never advocate gun attacks on the police. Reasonable people who are quietly standing around as the GOP is being hijacked by far right zealots should be ashamed. It wasn’t the Klan doing all the nasty stuff during Jim Crow. State, local and federal elected officials were doing the same things because we weren’t allowed to vote. Vote or we are going back to the future. In the spring, Trump said he was going to “act” presidential after the primary. After winning the White House, I think he would act like himself…like a dangerous tyrant.

The November election in Georgia is important because the Governor is trying to slip an education Trojan horse into every school system. The Opportunity School District constitutional amendment sounds harmless or helpful: “Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended to allow the state to intervene in chronically failing public schools in order to improve student performance?”

Intervene. Intervene how? The Governor’s Office, not the state department of education, would take over certain schools with the option to declare them charter schools and privatize these schools. “Oh, you went to a school so bad that the state took it over…what a stigma…do you know what stigma means?”

First, my concerns aren’t about Democrats and Republicans. When Governor Deal was a congressman from the northern section of Georgia, he did a fine job representing the people of that region. However, Georgia is a big and diverse state with different regions. Muhammed Ali once said that the problem with Atlanta is that it is surrounded by Georgia. Come on, champ, some of us prefer the rest of Georgia.

My point is that the conservative region above Atlanta doesn’t understand that schools fail for various reasons and only bloggers will admit that the primary reasons might be home life—little Johnny can’t focus at school if home is rough. Of course, we all want kids to be ready to learn, focused and prepared to concentrate like we were…and we were because we grew up focusing from the front pew of church.

Wait a second, my conservative friends have been fighting against federal or state control of local governmental matters for 40 years. Generally, they would hate a state officer telling them what to do with their local schools.

History

Some ultra conservatives have been trying to resegregate schools since Brown vs. the Board of Education. Paying property taxes to fund a school full of kids whose parents don’t pay property taxes burns them up. The situation is exacerbated by the notion that “those kids” at times are the discipline problems that make the public schools unacceptable. So, Mr. Property Owner must go deeper into his pockets to pay for private school. For the record, everyone should cheer for the academic success of every child because you want to have an intelligent labor force to attract well-paying industries. If you don’t pay for school, you will pay in time in prison cost…Georgia State University or Georgia State Penitentiary.

Ultimate Real Deal

The Opportunity School District is a Trojan horse that would open the door to privatizing public schools and taking control of schools from local leaders and citizens. I bet you will find some corporations that run schools at the center of this idea. Remember, they tried the same thing with privatizing prisons—built the prisons and they got rich off mass incarceration. Orange is the New Black is based on facts.

This deal is even cuter. This plan goes down like this: Rather than cherry-picking the best students and putting them into charter schools or magnet schools, you open the door to cherry-picking the worst schools or students, turn them over to private companies and the remaining students will be better off.

Yes, something must be done about under-preforming schools and the effort will require an honest analysis of all factors…including students, parents and environment. But, the governor’s office taking over schools is not the answer.

Hillary Clinton Smiling

You know that Democrat voters in Georgia are experiencing an enthusiasm problem. They aren’t necessarily hyped about voting for president because the national media keeps saying that Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida are the only swing states this side of the Mississippi River. Clinton will win those states and with the help of Republicans running from Donald Trump, Georgia and North Carolina are on the toss-up list.

Clinton should be smiling because this crazy Opportunity School Board mess would light a fire under unlikely registered voters. If presented to the people correctly, OSB could be a game changer. Wait, it gets better. Real money is flowing around the state to stop this ill-conceived amendment. Traditionally, Dems raise money in Atlanta to spend in say Florida but this year, Hillary and maybe the U.S. Senate candidate Jim Barksdale might win by riding the coattails of the anti-Opportunity School Board movement.

Bloggers are ready to stop OSB with rallies, cookouts, tailgates, receptions and radio spots. Georgia Dems can be elitists at times—elbowing each other for glory. We don’t have time for that crap this time because the stakes are too high…what’s in the balance is the future of our kids. We won’t let them recreate a second class school system based on race, region, or income. I think they want rural school systems to have a city kids school and county kids school but that is really county kids getting new schools and town kids keeping the old, current schools.

Plan

The plan to stop OSB centers on early voting and educating voters about voting the total ballot. President Obama recently said at Howard University’s graduation that he would have had a different congress if voters who voted for him would have voted for congress and other ballot items. We must get the word out and it needs to come from trusted members of the community…like me. They need to put that money on the street…old school style, Maze and Motown playing at rallies, family reunion style. Oh, I would put a Trojan horse with OSB on him on 3,000 t-shirts in one month.

Citizens should consider their use of time in support of the communities’ youth. So, you can sit in a high school football game for three hours to support the players, cheerleaders and band but you won’t take 10 minutes to early vote for good candidates and against junk like OSB. You use your smartphone to play Angry Birds but won’t get angry about conservative politicians trying to quietly take over our schools; we are talking about the same conservatives who constantly called for the end of the state and federal departments of education. As projectlogicaga.com’s Best Interest Initiative states, everyone has an agenda.

My agenda is to use social media to mobilize and energize every voter this year.

Why why why won’t Georgia voters listen to me. They should be because I hold the keys to election and policy success. Georgia has gone to hell in a handbasket politically because the far Right folks have hijacked the conservative movement and the people Democrats break their necks to help won’t getting in the voting line. They will get however in the “where is something free” line with a quickness.

Bernie Sanders: Senator Sanders is a nice enough fellow but how are you win Democratic primaries when you aren’t a freaking Democrat. Geez. The last thing Black folks need to hear in rural areas is a Santa Claus type character talking about redistributing wealth like Robin Hood. The first thing working families need to read is the Best Interest Initiatives blog posts on improving your life with little government involvement.

Hillary Clinton’s Southern Plan: Don’t sleep, Black generally love the Clintons and the Obamas. But, cue the Janet Jackson tune about “what have you done for me lately.” Most of the “Marched with King” folks are exiting the national stage and post-Obama will bring the reality that Candidate Obama was right: the White House can’t fix your life. You need to fix your life or, more importantly, you need to be deliberate in your actions/careful about how you carry yourself.

So, Team Hillary is counting on Black pastors and labor leaders to rally the bros and get Sanders off here back. However, the hip hop culture is starting to embrace that socialist talk because they didn’t experience the cold war and the red scare…to me, socialism and communism are first cousins.

The Democrats southern plan shouldn’t start in the big cities because those people are real liberals. In the non-Atlanta parts of Georgia for example, Blacks like moderate Sanford Bishop and don’t hate reasonable conservative Johnny Isakson. The sensible center sways elections and the Tea Party got the GOP to kick most moderates out of their ranks.

So, Hillary needs to dust off the old Clinton/Gore/Zell Miller brand of moderation for the non-urban parts of her efforts. The new moderation starts with a frank discussion about limited government and so hard talk about why folk’s situations are messed up. Of course, presidential campaigns can’t directly hard talk but that’s why Al Gore invented the internet and bloggers.

Democrats options for the Republican primaries: We know that Hillary will be the nom and why waste your primary vote. Dems in Georgia can vote in the GOP primary and my first notion is to vote for Jeb Bush or John Kasich because they are presidential material should something bad happen with that Clinton email witch-hunt. Of the other hand, helping Donald Trump win the GOP nomination would lock the White House for Clinton because (missing linking verb coming)…..”he crazy.”

Sanford Bishop gentlemen in waiting: Old Jimbo Fisher waited formally for Bobby Bowden to retire as head football coach at FSU. In Dem circles, we speculate who wants to be 2nd District congressman or woman when Bishop heads for the golf course. I think Hillary can win Georgia and it would be important for the South that she gets a few Dixie states. To win Georgia, Dems need to go 45% in rural areas and go over the top in Atlanta. To do that, they need candidates to take one for the team in GOP control congressional districts.

The last big action of Bishop’s national political career should be similar to his first—helping the Clintons win Georgia. Rep. Bishop often quotes Luke 12:48 For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

This blogger and former Bishop staffer is formally asking “the more.” We need SDB to in charge of turning out the Dem 45% everywhere in Georgia under a line from Columbus to Augusta.

Secondly, someone who wants to be congressman after Bishop retires should run in the 8th congressional district. That candidate will help drive out the Dem faithful in the heart of Georgia and that energy will spill over into neighboring areas. We know the five serious candidates thinking about being next after Bishop and I know a good effort in the 8th would help hone that message…a message I hope to help craft. And remember, news media coverage in the radiates into the 2nd.